Autumn Layering

It looks like the typical British autumn is finally making an appearance, it's been pouring down today in Somerset, the kind of day where you want to stay in your pajamas, drink tea and watch a film. Did I do any of these things? Of course not, my Nan has been visiting over the past few days and has bought her little shih tzu x toy poodle with her to  meet my puppy Rosie. As cute has this has been, it has also been incredibly chaotic as my puppy weighs a whole six kilos more than hers and keeps bowling her over at any opportunity. As the result of my dog chaos I have been forced out into this miserable day to walk them both, not a pleasant experience. If like me, you find yourself having to walk around in the blustery autumn weather than layering is your best way to keep as dry and warm as possible. I have compiled a short list of a few layering essentials for the what is arguably the best season.

• Shoes- I absolutely despise getting soggy feet when I am out walking in the rain, no one wants to sit in school or work with soggy feet for a whole day. I have found one of the best ways to look "put together" and stylish but stay dry is to wear shoes with a huge platform. There are loads of great platform boots out at the moment (here and here are my favourites) which are perfect for dressing up a boring outfit and adding an element of 90s grunge that is popular at the moment. Another option is to wear creepers which are excellent at keeping your feet out of puddles, I tend to buy mine from Amazon as they are so much cheaper and lighter but still give the desired creeper look. 
• Capes and Coats-  Coats are obviously an essential come Autumn/Winter and in my opinion no coats keep you as warm and dry as the parka. Most come with hoods you can put up in the rain and a furry lining to keep you warm. I have this parka from Asos, I specifically bought this as it has one of the most feminine shapes I've seen and has knitted cuffs to keep your arms nice and warm in the snow. Another great way to layer that is currently in style is the cape, I love these as they double up as a blanket if you are having to do long, cold train or bus journeys. Most high street stores are doing them this season my favourite I've seen so far are from Newlook. 
• Hats- I love wearing hats at all times of the year but in summer I always feel that likelihood of getting sweaty hat hair is increased massively by the heat. I love pairing outfits with floppy hats like this one with my outfits, it instantly gives a dressy stylish edge to an outfit without you having to put in too much effort, these hats look beautiful in camel or burgundy- typical autumn tones. If it is just too windy to wear a proper hat a beanie is great warmer alternative that can cover up any bad hair day and keep you insulated. All of the hats in this mood board are from Topshop, but Primark does great cheaper options if you are on a tighter budget. 
• Lipstick- Obviously Lipstick doesn't add a warm layer to your outfit but I feel that autumn is the perfect time of the year to wear a bold lip as they match the autumn palette of navy, burgundy and camel so well. I love the vampy shades from Sleek for a mid price option but Makeup Revolution sells highly pigmented vampy shades for just a pound if you aren't sure dark colours are for you. 

So these are my favourite picks of the moment, perfect for autumn layering, what do you love most about Autumn? 

Cara Delevingne Inspired Makeup

If you haven't heard about Cara Delevingne over the past year or so, then I can only presume you have been under a rock sheltering from all forms of media. Everyone wants to be her, know her, look like her or parade around with her being your girlfriend. Obviously I do not look like Cara Delevingne, if I did I would not be poor or single or living in Somerset, alas some us have to rely on something other than looks to survive in life (not entirely sure what I'm relying on- a talent for catching all illnesses?). That being said, I thought I would attempt to create a makeup look based on Cara Delevingne's makeup- I've changed a few elements to make the look more suited for my face but this a look that anyone with a heavy brow can attempt as it doesn't involve a brow highlight.

The main feature of Cara's look is a flawless bronzed face with heavy eyes and brows. I started off by moisturising my face with my usual moisturiser to make sure my foundation had a smooth application and didn't look cakey. In the photo below I have zero makeup up- being a ginger this means I appear to have no eyebrows or eyelashes, try not to be alarmed we all have our flaws. Generally when attempting flawless skin I like to keep the use of makeup brushes to a minimum as personally I feel they leave noticeable brush marks and can make the foundation appear very obvious. Thus, I have used my hands to apply all the liquid face products so they would be warmed up by my body heat and be in a thinner layer, I did use a makeup sponge to concentrate on my under eye bags but if you don't need a heavy coverage  foundation your hands will work well.

I first used an illuminating primer to set a base for my foundation- this isn't a necessary step but Cara does have a very ethereal and dewy finish to her face which is easier to achieve using a primer. I then used a combination of two foundations across my face and under my eyes to create a flawless finish, luckily I don't tend to suffer with blemishes but if you do then you may find a heavier coverage foundation better for this step. Another key element to most of Cara's makeup looks is that she very heavily contours to make the most of her gorgeous bone structure. My natural bone structure is of course no were near as perfect as a supermodel so I simply followed a "C" shape from my brow bone to under my cheek bone with a bronze which helped give me a healthy glowing look. I also applied a powder highlighter and blush to the apples of my cheeks, nose and cupids bow to add yet more of that healthy glow that is a key feature in most of Cara's makeup looks. If you possess heavier cheek bones then you could add a harsher contour powder by your cheekbones to emphasise your natural luck.

Although Cara has very heavy eye makeup it is generally made up of a few very natural eye shadow shades that most people will own. I applied a Maybelline colour tattoo onto my eyelids and up into the crease and the outer corner with my Real Techniques domed shadow brush which I blended out with a light matte brown into the eyebrow. I then applied a dark brown into the outer corner and slightly into the crease to intensify the natural shadows on my eye. The main trick behind this makeup look is to continue blending out the eye shadows until you are happy with the shape and feel the colours seamlessly lead into each other.

I then used a combination of brown and black kohl eyeliners on the tight line, lash line and water line to create a really dark smoky look. I then blended out the eyeliner underneath the eye using a small eye shadow brush with the same matte brown eye shadow until I felt that my eyes stood out enough. You could add some winged eyeliner at this point if you want to have a more polished look but it appears that Cara is primarily wearing eyes shadow and eyeliners on her eyes.



A major feature of the makeup is some super heavy dark eyelashes to frame the grungy eye shadow, if your lashes are naturally sparse then you could add some individual lashes here but I've used my natural lashes as it is more wearable. This is one look were you cannot make your lashes too clumpy as the heavy eye shadow really needs framing by something equally as intense. My advice for achieving this is to first curl your eyelashes as it will make them appear closer and heavier together. I then use a combination of a lengthening mascara and a volumising  mascara building up the layers until I feel that the lashes look dramatic enough, using two mascaras is a brilliant way to get both volume and length without forking out for an expensive product. 

Now onto the brows, of course Cara Delevingne has some pretty amazing eyebrows which look naturally amazing. There is almost no point in me trying to re-create her exact shape as I would probably end up looking more like Chewbacca then a model. I followed my natural eyebrow shape with a pencil and then filled the rest of the brows in with my MUA brow palette, I would go for the shade darker then you normally use. If you own a spooly then try brushing your brows upwards to mimic Cara's really messy brow shape. Less plucking is better if you are attempting grungy makeup.

I left my lips without any colour as I have seen Cara with nude lips, red lips and natural lips wearing this look, it really depends on what situation you are using this makeup look for and how confident you are with lip colours. I think this look is perfect for a night out as the primers mean that is won't be melting down your face too quickly and would probably last through most "activities". I personally would also happily wear this look out on a normal day but it could be easily toned down with the use of less bronzer and eyeliner. Let me know what you think and which look of Cara's is your favourite. 

Products Used 

L'Oreal Lumi Magique- Pure Light Primer 

Revlon Colour stay- 110 Ivory 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum- Lightest Shade 

L'Oreal Illuminating Powder- 01 Rose Boudoir

Miss Sporty Ohh Tan So Fine- 001 I am Blonde

B. Glowing Blush- 161 Just Peachy 

Colour Tattoo 24hr Maybelline- 35 On and on bronze 

Rimmel London Waterproof Kohl- 001 Black and 012 Bronze

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow Palette 

Superdrug own Eyelash Curlers 

Bourjois Mascara liner effect- 81 Noir 

Max Factor Wild Mega Volume- Black 

MUA Pro-Brow Kit- Blonde

MUA 3 in 1 Extreme Contour Liner 

GOSH professional eyeshadow brush 

Real Techniques Brushes- brow brush, domed shadow brush, multi task brush